August 19, 2005 Taking a leaf from Mother Nature, scientists at A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) in Singapore have developed tiny lenses made of liquid, which mimics the action of the human eye. The liquid lens system has optical zooming abilities and uses only a fraction of the space of most conventional lenses. It alters its focal length by changing its shape. The lens promises optical zoom functionality for the next generation of camera phones and other compact hand-held devices. We have reported previously on similar functionality shown by Philips at CEBIT 2004.